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laura_k_gw

Brandywine Red growth habits

laura_k
15 years ago

Can someone provide info on the growing habits of brandywine reds?

I planted all heirlooms this year and while most seem to be growing,getting taller and filling with leaves and flowers, the Brandys ( there are 4) grow so slowly. There are some flowers and even a small tomato on the tallest but all 4 don't look like they've gained much height since planting them 4 weeks ago. Is this normal? The largest is about 16inches and the other 3 stand at about 6-7inches high, no flowers. All have thick, healthy stems and nice leaf growth

The slow poke Brandys were bought as transplants. Should I keep watching water boil and let them have more time or replant the little ones?

thanks for the advice.

Comments (33)

  • carolyn137
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Red Brandywine is an indeterminate variety and grows very robustly, so I'm not sure what the problem is with your RB's.

    Are they in the same area as where your other plants are doing well and were they treated the same?

    Were all your varieties bought as transplants or did you raise some from seed and set out your own seedlings. That is, are the RB transplants smaller than your others b'c the plants were smaller when you put them out?

    Are they really RB's in that they should be RL but unfortunately there's lots of PL worng RB being distributed.

    I wouldn't pull up anything and replant, I'd just let them do what they're going to do. You're in zone 6 and there should be time enough left to the season for them to mature.

    Carolyn

  • laura_k
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the advice.
    They are all planted in the same garden plot. Some were from seed (doing well)some from Selected (doing great!) and the pokey BR from a local nursery. The are all RL. Funny thing is I also started some BR (RL) from seed and they too are taller then the transplants.
    The pokes are VERY stocky, thick stemmed plants.
    By the way, my Dr. Carolyn pink is doing very well. Loaded with flowers so i'm hopeing for set fruit soon :)

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  • carolyn137
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    and the pokey BR from a local nursery

    ****

    So it's only one Red Brandywine that's slow? That's good. LOL

    You keep saying Brandywine Red and I keep saying Red Brandywine. The reason I do that is b'c that's its name. In the index of catalogs and at websites you'll often find them listed Brandywine, Red, Brandywine, Yellow, etc., and it's the same in a certain book on heirloom tomatoes that I know, but their real names are:

    Brandywine
    Red Brandywine
    Yellow Brandywine
    OTV Brandywine
    Black Brandywine
    Purple Brandywine ( better known as Marizol Bratka)

    Sorry about that but it's the retired teacher in me that occasionally gets loose. LOL

    Carolyn

  • laura_k
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    yup- just the Brandys. Squaty little buggers. I'll keep 'em for now as long as they look healthy just to see what happens.
    And no need to be sorry! I appreicate the education!

  • earthworm73
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have a PL Brandywine and it is growing tall with HUGE leaves. The ML beside it in the same container (EarthTainer) otoh is growing tall and bushy. The label with the Brandywine says just 'Brandywine'. I am not sure I have pink or red. Any suggestions?

  • kdawg
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    As per Carolyn's message if it's sold as "Brandywine" it ought to be the original pink fruited, green shouldered beefsteak. The fact that it's potato leaf is another sign.

    However there do seem to be a lot of a lot of potato leaf Red Brandywine's being sold these days. Carolyn or anyone, is there such a thing? What is it?

  • carolyn137
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    However there do seem to be a lot of a lot of potato leaf Red Brandywine's being sold these days. Carolyn or anyone, is there such a thing? What is it?

    *****

    The PL Red Brandywine seeds were distributed by Seeds by Design in CA, a wholesale place and they have a huge distribution list which is why so many places are carrying it and don't even realize there is no such thing as a PL RB.

    TGS lists both a PL and an RL RB and neither one is RB. The only true RB at TGS is the one with Landis as part of the name. And while it's called a strain there are no strains of RB, It just happens to be the place where Linda got her seeds and that's the Landis Museum in PA.

    No one knows what the faux PL or RL supposed RB's are and never will.

    True RB can be found at Sandhill Preservation as well as Heirloom Seeds in PA where Tom Hauch calls it his signature variety b'c it was he who got it out of the SSE YEarbook and first offered it commercially.

    Tomatofest was selling seeds of PL RB according to someone who bought them on sale and at first they were not labelled as being PL although apparently Gary corrected that.

    And I can't speak to other RB sources b'c I haven't seen the feedback.

    Carolyn

  • dave1mn2
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Carolyn,

    ~~~ No one knows what the faux PL or RL supposed RB's are and never will. ~~~

    Since your direct experience with so many varieties and that you were trained as a scientist gives you a unique perspective represented by I'd guess a fairly small handfull of folks in the world, what do you think the future of comercially available seeds is?

    Mongrelization isn't necessarily bad but it does make it hard to keep track of things, especially when retail establishments don't bother to fully label their products.

    For instance, I bought a Pink Beefsteak start last yr. It was a great tomato, honestly, labeled OP but for whatever reason I didn't save seed and I didn't know it wasn't a ... pedigeed variety.

    How is this all gonna shake out with so many true varieties in existence now, folks making new ones all the time and retailers not keeping it straight?

  • jel7
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Good question!

    I hope Carolyn will respond.

    I wanted to grow Brandywine this year and found out here after my plants were 5 inches tall that my source and and plants were questionable.

    I did not know what I was growing.

    This was very dissapointing.

    I was surprised that commercial seed companies would misrepresent varieties. (with or without knowledge)

    I am for "seed police".

    Carolyn, if this misrepresentate continues will we lose the "REAL" heirloom strans/varieties?

    It appears to me that Darrel Jones of Selected Plants is the only person that makes it his business to keep varieties pure by correcting crosses, etc.

    Hopefully there are others that work toward this end.

    John

  • dawncols
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hopefully there are others that work toward this end. >>

    I'm under the impression that quite a few people are dedicated to this work. Isn't that one of the major aims of the Seed Savers Exchange?

    I too have a Brandywine puzzle. I bought a variety pack of heirloom tomato seeds from Park Seed and I thought I was getting the famous Brandywine variety amongst the others. But on further inspection I'm completely unsure what variety they sent me. The Park catalog refers to it interchangeably as "Brandywine Red" or just "Brandywine". They describe it as "a deep red up to two pounds" and say it is potato leaf.
    I did get one PL seedling in my batch. I planted it next to a plant from my brother-in-law that he called Brandywine. It is definitely RL.

    I'm sure I'll enjoy whatever it is that I'm growing. But I would love to have a real Brandywine next year.

    Can someone attest to a truly reliable seed source for them?

  • carolyn137
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Since your direct experience with so many varieties and that you were trained as a scientist gives you a unique perspective represented by I'd guess a fairly small handfull of folks in the world, what do you think the future of comercially available seeds is?

    *****

    The future is excellent since more and more folks are adding OP varieties to what they grew before and still grow, and that's hybrids.

    (Mongrelization isn't necessarily bad but it does make it hard to keep track of things, especially when retail establishments don't bother to fully label their products. )

    YOu ereally have to stick to those companies where the owners do know their tomatoes and especially those who produce their own seed and don't subcontract out.

    I see more and more websites being set up by folks to sell seeds and when I read some of them I'm truly saddened by the wrong information given.

    (For instance, I bought a Pink Beefsteak start last yr. It was a great tomato, honestly, labeled OP but for whatever reason I didn't save seed and I didn't know it wasn't a ... pedigeed variety. )

    If you look at the companies that sell labels and you're dealing with a retail outlet that doesn't really know what they have you're likely to see labels that just say grape, or red, or yellow or beefsteak, which by themselves have no meaning.

    (How is this all gonna shake out with so many true varieties in existence now, folks making new ones all the time and retailers not keeping it straight?)

    I have no problem at all with those who are doing crosses and making selections to obtain genetically stable varieties. After all, it's been said that perhaps 95% of all family type heirlooms arose by natural cross pollination ( forming an F1 hybrid) and subsequent growouts to the OP state)

    And it's only some retailers that don't grow out what they buy and don't know the background of varieties they sell seed for and thus give out wrong information.

    Carolyn

  • carolyn137
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Carolyn, if this misrepresentate continues will we lose the "REAL" heirloom strans/varieties?

    *****

    Not at all b'c there are several folks I know of who maintain large seed collections, as I do myself, and SSE also has a large seed collection b'c for years they asked listers to send them the new ones they'd listed and actually paid the going price. I always sent back the money with the seeds and I would like to think that others did as well.

    (It appears to me that Darrel Jones of Selected Plants is the only person that makes it his business to keep varieties pure by correcting crosses, etc.)

    Not true at all. Darrel is doing a fine job but is a relative late comer to growing lots of tomatoes and selling plants.

    I could list many of my SSE friends who for much much longer have had to know varieties well enough to be able to rogue out wrong plants and keep varieties pure. You don't know them b'c they aren't commercial except for Glenn Drowns who does an excellent job at Sandhill Preservation with maintaining pure varieties and has been listing tomato varieties in the SSE Yearbook only a few years after SSE was started, back in 1975.

    No place selling OP varieties is going to have a perfect record, just b'c of the way that most OP's are grown for seed production. What I'm saying is that when thousands of plants are bing grown there's no way at all that blossoms can be bagged and thus one relies on geographic isolation.

    Carolyn

  • carolyn137
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm under the impression that quite a few people are dedicated to this work. Isn't that one of the major aims of the Seed Savers Exchange?

    *****

    No, that is not one of the major aims of SSE. SSE was formed to preserve heirloom varieties of tomatoes and all else. And that's facilitated by the listed SSE members who list their varieties in the Yearboook each year.

    SSE has nothing whatsoever to do with what folks list and the range of expertise of SSE members is wide indeed as regards listings seeds that are pure. So will a person sometimes get wrong requested varieties? Sure, but less I think than one would get by trading seeds or at several other retail sources.

    But nowhere's else will one find about 4K tomato varieties and many of them quite rare.

    I'm a long time Life time listed member of SSE and the friends I've made and my being able to distribute some of my best varieties to those retail folks whom I trust for trial and then seeing them offered publicaly has been very satisfying.

    SSE does offer varieties to the public thru their website and catalog and the seed trueness and quality have been excellent. Have there been errors? Yes. For many years I proofed the pictures and blurbs in the catalog/website and there were years when I had quite a few corrections to make, other years none.

    There is no great expertise at SSE in terms of tomatoes but Aaron has taken extra steps to learn more with every passing year and I think does an excellent job now.

    (I too have a Brandywine puzzle. I bought a variety pack of heirloom tomato seeds from Park Seed and I thought I was getting the famous Brandywine variety amongst the others. But on further inspection I'm completely unsure what variety they sent me. The Park catalog refers to it interchangeably as "Brandywine Red" or just "Brandywine". They describe it as "a deep red up to two pounds" and say it is potato leaf.)

    I think you know from reading above that Brandywine is a PL pink and Red Brandywine is an RL medium red and 2# is not a reasonable size for RB and an RB that's PL is not an RB.

    I would suggest sticking to those companies that specialize in tomatoes, I think I listed them above but maybe not, and not deal with the Burpee's and Park's of the world and NEVER buying packs of mixed seed unless that seed is color coded and IDED.

    (I did get one PL seedling in my batch. I planted it next to a plant from my brother-in-law that he called Brandywine. It is definitely RL.)

    So clearly you don't know what was in the pack and you could have a true PL Brandywine or not or a wrong PL Red Brandywine, or whatever.

    (I'm sure I'll enjoy whatever it is that I'm growing. But I would love to have a real Brandywine next year.)

    (Can someone attest to a truly reliable seed source for them?)

    if you're now talking just Brandywine, the same sources I gave above for true Red Brandywine would be good bets for true Brandywine. There hasn't really been a problem with Brandywine seeds at all, just the wrong Red Brandywine seeds.

    Sometimes you'll see Brandywine listed like that and sometimes you'll see it written Brandywine ( Sudduth ) or Brandywine ( Sudduth/Quisenberry) and many of us feel that the Suddth strain is best. However, b'c of the past it's clear that even some labelled just Brandywine could be the Sudduth strain.

    Carolyn

  • dave1mn2
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks Carolyn,

    I suppose the best thing to do is to be supportive toward those that do the work.

    I'll be thinking along those lines when I order next yrs. seeds.

  • jel7
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have seen commercial seed companies list both Brandywine Sudduth and Brandywine Quienberry separately and describe them differently.

    If I am correct, Brandywine is Sudduth/Quienberry.

    Craig LeHoullier e-mailed me that he sent Brandywine Sudduth seed to Johnny's Seed and this is a source for the real thing.

    I am not contradicting Carolyn concerning Sandhill as they have a very good reputation.

    John

  • carolyn137
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If I am correct, Brandywine is Sudduth/Quienberry.

    ****

    But hardly anyone puts both names there. Sudduth is for Doris Sudduth Hill who gave the seeds to Ben Quisenberry, a legendary tomato collector who left all his seeds to SSE.

    So if either Sudduth OR Quisenberry is associated with the name Brandywine it means the same thing.

    (Craig LeHoullier e-mailed me that he sent Brandywine Sudduth seed to Johnny's Seed and this is a source for the real thing.)

    And it used to be perhaps one of the few sources for the Sudduth strain but that was many years ago that Craig sent those seeds to Rob and now many places list true Brandywine ( Sudduth). You may not know this but Craig and I first met thru SSE in about 1989 and he's not just my best tomato friend, he's my best friend, and we are in constant contact. After almost 20 years I may get to meet him in person this year if he and his wife drive up this way.

    (I am not contradicting Carolyn concerning Sandhill as they have a very good reputation.)

    I didn't see much to contradict, so I'm not sure what you're saying. ( smile) Glenn was collecting seeds of lots of stuff way before Craig or I ever joined SSE and he and Linda are two of the nicest most honest folks that I've ever known.

    Carolyn

  • donnamarienj
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    so the Brandywine (red) that I purchased from TGS are not true Brandywine (red)? What the heck are they?

  • carolyn137
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    so the Brandywine (red) that I purchased from TGS are not true Brandywine (red)? What the heck are they?

    ****

    Donnamarie, it depends on which RB you bought from TGS as to what you have as I outlined in a post above in this thread:

    (TGS lists both a PL and an RL RB and neither one is RB. The only true RB at TGS is the one with Landis as part of the name. And while it's called a strain there are no strains of RB, It just happens to be the place where Linda got her seeds and that's the Landis Museum in PA.

    No one knows what the faux PL or RL supposed RB's are and never will.)

    Carolyn

  • ktdid28
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I bought most of my organic seeds from Gardens Alive this year. It is also my first year trying out Brandywines.
    Below is what their website is claiming, so does this mean that they are not a true brandywine? It is PL & growing nicely.

    "Gardens Alive! Organic Brandywine Red Tomato Seeds
    Only from Gardens Alive! An Amish Heirloom variety that dates back to 1885, Brandywine has indeterminate potato-leaf vines that produce 3"-diameter, round, beefsteak-type fruits. The Fruits have a rich red color with some light pink-red undertones. Sweet and big on flavor, this variety is productive and heat resistant. Produces 1-to 1 1/2-lb fruits."

    I only had one of my plants survive our monsoon May here, so I bought 4 organic Brandywine plants at a farmer's market & they are RL.
    They were simply marked Brandywine, heirloom.
    I'm assuming I shouldn't bother saving seeds from either & start over with new seeds from a respected seller next year?

  • carolyn137
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    kt, the seeds you bought from Gardens alive are described as being potato leafed ( from above description) so they are not Red Brandywine, as I explained above in a couple of posts. That's an unknown PL RB that was distributed by Seeds of design in CA to many places and it's kind of sad that some folks selling it don't even realize they're selling something wrong. Too bad they didn't grow out the seeds themselves and knew what RB should be before selling the seeds. But they weren't the only ones who did that.

    BTW, Gardens' Alive is not, IMO, a place where I'd buy tomato seeds. ( smile)

    Carolyn

  • greengrass12
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ok I am totally confused. I bot brandywine at pine garden seeds and they say it is a pinkish red tomato. The plants that I have growing have beautiful potato leaves. If this is not a true brandywine then I would be interested to know if anybody has grown this srain before and if so what they taste like?

  • carolyn137
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ok I am totally confused. I bot brandywine at pine garden seeds and they say it is a pinkish red tomato. The plants that I have growing have beautiful potato leaves. If this is not a true brandywine then I would be interested to know if anybody has grown this srain before and if so what they taste like?

    *****

    I think you mean Pinetree Seeds.

    IN any case the problem is NOT with Brandywine, it's with RED Brandywine in terms of their being some not true RB seed being sold.

    If Pinetree knew what strain they had they'd say so in the description.

    So you have Brandywine, strain unknown, and that's fine.

    Enjoy!

  • spiced_ham
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Pink fruit potato leaf plant is true "Brandywine", aka Brandywine Sudduth strain. "Red Brandywine" is something else, unrelated. It came from [possibly the Amish] Landis Valley PA. "Brandywine" was grown by the Sudduth family in Tennesee.

    All of the pink ones are the more or less the same thing [same flavor etc] just with different strain names they picked up along the way depending on who grew the seeds. There are three "Red Brandywine"s on the market. The real one from Landis Valley, and two imposters, one regular leaf, and one potato leaf. The imposters made their way to a lot of, maybe most of, the seed venders out there. So if you have Brandywine, and it is pink, it is the real deal, and if you have Red Brandywine that does not say Landis on the package/tag it is probably not the real deal Red.

    The pink one has the taste people talk about.

    The potaoleaf red is supposedly a decent tomato, and unusual for being a red fruit potatoleaf. Backlash from this marketing mistake may mean that if it does not get renamed it will be taken off the market and face extinction.

  • greengrass12
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the clarification carolyn and ham. This is my frst shot at bw and they are looking good good good. Growing fast and loaded with blossoms and toms.

    Carolyn the teacher in you was right again-pine tree seeds. I was up there last year or down east whichever you prefer visiting family. At first glance the place looked like an old deserted farm house and my first thought was mail order scam. No large growing fields but they did have some plots roped off amongst all the weeds. Then I found the main entrance and rang the bell for sevice. Everything was good from there. Excellent service and they mailed me the peas that were out of stock at no charge.

  • carolyn137
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Pink fruit potato leaf plant is true "Brandywine", aka Brandywine Sudduth strain. "Red Brandywine" is something else, unrelated. It came from [possibly the Amish] Landis Valley PA. "Brandywine" was grown by the Sudduth family in Tennesee.

    ********

    I don't think I'd equate Brandywine with the Sudduth strain these days as being the TRUE strain b/c there are several other strains out there and more to the point just the name Brandywine doesn't equal Sudduth b/c the generic name Brandywine can mean any of several strains, not just the Sudduth/Quisenberry. Doris Hill Sudduth gave those seeds to Ben quisenberry and he gave his whole collection to SSE in 1980.

    While it would seem natural to equate with the Brandywine River Valley in PA, there's no documentation that says that. The information about Brandywine in the SSE catalog re Johnson and Stokes listing it is dicey since there's only a line drawing and no color is mentioned and those of us who have seed the info/picture from that catalog cannot confirm that what's shown is PL or pink and it's probably RB.

    *******
    All of the pink ones are the more or less the same thing [same flavor etc] just with different strain names they picked up along the way depending on who grew the seeds. There are three "Red Brandywine"s on the market. The real one from Landis Valley, and two imposters, one regular leaf, and one potato leaf. The imposters made their way to a lot of, maybe most of, the seed venders out there. So if you have Brandywine, and it is pink, it is the real deal, and if you have Red Brandywine that does not say Landis on the package/tag it is probably not the real deal Red.

    *******

    First, I've grown several different strains of Brandywine and just can't agree that they all taste about the same.

    Here's the story on Red Brandywine. It was first gotten out of the SSE Yearbook by Tom Hauch of Heirloom Seeds in PA who still considers it his signature tomato. He gave seeds to Steve Miller at the Landis Museum where they try to collect Amish varieties. It was Steve Miller who did the background work that led to our knowing that this is the only variety with Brandywine as part of the name that could be traced to the Amish in about 1885 as I recall.

    There are many sites with true RL RB, Sandhill Preservation is one of them and there are others so Landis does not equal the only true RB.

    Most of the discussion has centered on the situation at TGS where Linda did get her RB from the Landis Museum, but it isn't a strain, there are no strains of RB, and it isn't the only true RB being offered as I just indicated.

    So one can't equate Landis with true RB.

    And yes, at TGS if you want true RB you need to get the one with Landis as part of the name b'c as I and others have pointed out she also lists a RL and PL RB and neither are RB and the source was Seeds by Design in CA. I've urged her to say they aren't RB, but so far I haven't been successful, but I'll keep trying. ( smile)

    *******
    The potaoleaf red is supposedly a decent tomato, and unusual for being a red fruit potatoleaf. Backlash from this marketing mistake may mean that if it does not get renamed it will be taken off the market and face extinction.

    Again, referring to primarily TGS, the main reason that Linda hasn't dropped the wrong PL and RL falsely named RB's is b'c many folks do like them. And no, it won't get renamed, heaven forbid, and it won't be taken off the market b'c Linda can have her subcontracter produce new seed any time she wants to. And there are other PL reds out there as well at different seed sources and also traded back and forth between some folks and also in the SSE Yearbook.

    I've known Linda since the early 90's and consider her a good friend and have sent many many OP varieties to her for trial. She's one of the nicest, most honest persons I've met in my heirloom tomato career. And I could make that same statement for the owners of a couple of other small family sites where I've known the owners for many years.

    Carolyn, no time to edit, have to go watch the Wimbledon Willians final. Bye. LOL

  • ktdid28
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Carolyn, thanks for the response a few questions back.
    I agree with your opinion of Gardens Alive.... I will not be using them in the future (most of the seeds I bought did not do well at all) But I do hope that these maters are tasty! :) Katie

  • laura_k
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I thought that since this original post was bummped up to recent I would post an update on the Brandywine ( which, by the way, does only read Brandywine on the tag) Well- that little plant sprouted up about 2.5 feet and is setting more fruit!
    Thanks the advice to wait it out.
    Now if I can keep the critters away...!

  • donnamarienj
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm so confused!!!! No matter how many times I read and re-read the Brandywine information, it just doesn't sink in. I just don't get it. Too complex for me.

    Can someone please tell me the "exact" name of the brandywine tomato that is so higly regarded and which company is the best bet to have the correct seed?

    Obviously, I've been growing the wrong seed.

    I just want the name of the tomato that everybody loves and where to get the true seed. Don't confuse me with any other information.

    Please?

    I must be having a blonde year..... :( (sigh)

  • carolyn137
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Although I don't agree that it's a variety everyone loves, ahem, I know you're referring to Brandywine, and it can be listed two ways:

    Brandywine ( Sudduth)

    or

    Brandywine ( Quisenberry/Sudduth)

    Reputable seed sources would include:

    Johnny's Selected Seeds
    Tomato Growers Supply
    Sandhill Preservation

    And probably Victory Seeds although I didn't check that out. And I'm sure there are others selling it as well, but you have 3-4 sources that are quite acceptable.

    And I've given you the strain that most folks rpefer although as mentioned several times in above posts there are Brandywines being sold that could well be the Sudduth strain but the seller doesn't know the strain so just lists it as Brandywine.

    Carolyn, who gave you NO extraneous information Donna, as you requested. ( smile) And honestly, it's not too complex for you to understand as I've gotten to know you over the years.

  • mattml
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well, my Brandywine Red happens to be planted right where the compost pile was last year and it is also the tallest of my 14 plants at 5-feet plus right now. It's also heavily loaded with fruit. So I'd say that it all comes down to soil, soil, soil.

    On a related topic, I harvested and ate my first tomato today. It was a half-pound 'pineapple' and was delicious with some mozzarella, olive oil, basil and a little salt. Yum!

  • donnamarienj
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you!!!! Kisses!

    I am so in the dark, I don't know what a strain is, F1, F2, OP, heirloom, etc. NO! Don't tell me - my brain can't handle it. Someday (ha ha ha), I'll figure it out.

    When I buy seed, I make my choice from the forums. The tomatoes that everyone raves about - that's the seed I want.

    (And if I get brave enough, I'll try to save seeds this year... and I'll be pestering you with more questions....)

    DonnaMarieNJ

  • jel7
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Donna,

    I concur with your forum research.

    Brandywine is the MOST raved about.

    Cherokee Purple is probably #2 most raved about.

    John